"When I played against the Brazilian national team with Casemiro (of Manchester United) I remember thinking that they were incredibly good, but when I played against him in the preseason match I felt that they weren't that great." - Ao Tanaka for GOAL Japan
https://www.goal.com/jp/%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88/20250818-leeds-japan-ao-tanaka-exclusive-interview-part1/blt2cb1a21776e8267a#csd61dd3e012d98023 (you'll need to put it through a translator)
You were in first place for most of the time after the end of December, but towards the end of the season you lost ground after drawing three games in a row. What was the atmosphere like at that time?
The last two months were really tough. Every week, I played while thinking that I didn't want to play. If I played, there was a chance that we would lose points. I was so nervous that I thought, "I'll do anything, just give me three points."
It's not like a championship race, it's more like "heaven or hell." Finishing third and not getting promoted is the same as finishing 18th. And if we get promoted, we'll go to the Premier League, the dream stage of the world. That's how important it is for the team to get there. Coming here really made me realize just how big a club Leeds is, which is why I wanted to get promoted.
I didn't really understand it before I came here. Not even the history or the atmosphere of the stadium. But once I got here, I really realized that this is a club that has to be in the Premier League. It's not often you get to play football at a club with such a history. It was my first time playing football at such a club, so I felt a sense of mission and responsibility.
So, even if we came in second or third, it would be a completely different story, and I don't want to experience that tension again, and I don't think I'll ever experience it again.